A day at the mine

Actually about an hour late in the day on Saturday.  I believe that I have found the (old) Theall Mine an iron mine in magnetite ore which connected underground with the McCollum mine an open pit mine.  The entrance to the mine has been blocked by a large mound of earth.  But, individuals being curious have removed some of the dirt and found their way in, not me!  (May be some day??).  It appears to be very wet, probably flooded.  Near by should be the open pit of the McCollum mine.  It was too late in the day to do any more investigating-exploring.  One must be very careful walking around these places, good light is essential.  I failed to mention that about thirty-five years ago I had explored this area.  Then it was more adventure, than history.  At that time there were steel doors that blocked the path - not too effectively. 

In the late 1890's this area had several iron/mineral mines the history of which is very sparse unless you dig for it (no pun intended).  There were also rail spurs that would be located near some of these mines, another interesting industry only traces of which can still be found.  The most notable mine in the local area was the Tilly Foster mine, a large iron ore mine discovered in 1810.  The mine was 600 feet in 1879 and may have exceeded 700 feet by 1890, at the time the largest mining operation in the US.  Mining ceased in 1897 after 13 miners were killed in a rockslide.